Indian hockey film shot in Australia wins accolades

A MOVIE about the Indian women's hockey team shot in Sydney and
Melbourne has won the best film award at the Australian Indian Film
Festival.

Box-office hit Chak De India, directed by Shimit Amin,
was filmed around Sydney and Melbourne, featuring 90 Australian
hockey players and more than 9000 locals as extras.

The movie was inspired by the Indian women's hockey team's
surprise win at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.

Akshaye Khanna won the best performance award for his portrayal
of Mahatma Gandhi's son Harilal in Feroz Khan's Gandhi My
Father.

The film was recently accepted for competition at the Tokyo
International Film Festival and is up for a best screenplay award
at the inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

The awards were announced last night at a gala ceremony at
Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art. The festival opened with a
screening of Gandhi My Father, and will present the best in
Indian cinema over the next 10 days, before going to Melbourne and
other cities.